Curated OER
Critter Clues
Students work together to examine water quality. They identify the indicators of water quality and complete an experiment. They discuss their results.
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Best Management Practices for Water Quality
Fourth graders examine best management practices for water quality. In this water quality instructional activity, 4th graders explore unused land to identify areas of runoff, erosion, and effects of water flow. Students...
Teach Engineering
Aerogels in Action
Model an oil spill cleanup. An engaging engineering lesson has groups using aerogels to simulate an oil spill cleanup (vegetable oil in water). Along the way, they learn about nanotechnology and hydrophilia/hydrophobia.
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Cleaning an Oil Spill
Third graders use oil, feathers, eggs, rubber bands, and more to create a simulated oil spill and then clean it up. In this oil spill lesson plan, 3rd graders discuss what their cleaning process is like and how the oceans are effected...
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Cleaning of Metal
Students clean pennies and determine why one substance cleans better. In this lesson about acids and bases, students experiment how to clean a penny. Students use four different solutions to clean their pennies. Students will also test...
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Where, Oh Where is All the Clean Air?
Middle schoolers examine the history of air pollution dating back to the Roman Empire. In groups, they research the different types of pollutants in the air and how they can affect the environment. They participate in various...
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Water Quality
Students conduct experiments to study the quality of water. They examine how pollutants get into and affect the water supply in this unit.
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OK...Just Whose Water Is It, Anyway?
Students recognize that each person has a right to clean, safe drinking water. They explain that changes in behavior may be necessary when considering water usage. They role play a water rights courtoom dispute.
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Testing the Waters
Students explore water in depth through discussion, research, and experiment. Students apply map skills to locating particular regions of the world as they relate to water. Students predict water quality based on information researched...
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Contaminated Water
Young scholars review and use the steps in the scientific method to complete the experiment. In groups, they research the importance of water to plants and animals in their local area. They examine how water can become contaminated and...
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Can You Catch the Water?
Students work together to construct a model of a water catchment basin. They survey water patterns and complete experiments to see where rain travels and collects. They discover how engineers design structures that help with drainage.
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Are You Thirsty: The Effects of Pollution on Drinking Water
Students discuss the different causes of water pollution. For this ecology lesson, students brainstorm ways to purify polluted water. They formulate their conclusion based on the results of the experiments.
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Let's Think About Water
Students explore the different forms that water can take and conduct simple experiments to demonstrate some of its properties in each state. They watch a short video that illustrates some of these concepts.
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The Water Cycle: Transpiration
Students identify and describe the stages in the water cycle. Using plants, they determine if they play a role in the cycle and measure the water the plants give off. They complete an experiment to determine if deciduous or coniferous...
Beyond Benign
In a Lather
Time to come clean! Scholars continue preparing the shampoo they created in the previous two lessons. The purpose of this stage is to calculate the perfect amount of additive to make the shampoo lather.
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Fossil Fuels: Facing the Issues
Students explore energy by researching fuel usage on Earth. In this fossil fuel lesson, students define fossil fuels, the energy created by burning them, and the impact on the environment when using them. Students conduct pollution...
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Leachate
In this garbage worksheet, students use soda bottles, sand, water, and more to do an experiment to see how garbage affects the ocean. Students answer 5 questions.
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How Clean is that Water?
Students conduct a water quality experiment on a local stream using benthic organisms as a water quality indicator. Based on the results from the experiment, students determine how engineers use this background information to make...
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What's in the Water?
Students examine how pollutants can affect ocean animals. In this pollution lesson, students read a story about the ocean floor, think about what would happen to the plants and animals if the ocean became dirty or polluted, and conduct...
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Oil + Water + Wildlife = A Real Mess
Students conduct an experiment. In this environmental protection lesson plan, students explore how oil spills affect living organisms in an ecosystem. Students work in groups to complete a lab activity and then discuss their findings.
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Determination of Overall Water Quality Using a Quantitative Macroinvertebrate Survey
Students examine water samples from a local stream. They identify various types of macroinvertebrates found in that water ecosystem and perform a quantitative macroinvertebrate survey to determine the stream's water quality.
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Oil Spill Activity (Easy)
Young scholars explore the concept of environmental stewardship. In this science lesson plan, students examine the effects of oil spills and investigate clean-up methods as they participate in a hands-on activity.
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Making "Cents" of Surface Tension
Students explore the unique behaviors of water. They investigate surface tension using water drops on a penny and pennies dropped in a cup.
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Sink or Float
Students explore water properties by conducting a class experiment. In this buoyancy lesson, students make predictions as to whether or not specific objects will sink or float in water. Students conduct the experiment and record their...